Contents

Summary

Spike's friend Tippy and his spiketail herd return to the Great Valley, but there's not enough green food to go around. The adults' tempers flare, and Spike and Tippy are forbidden to be together. So when Ducky discovers Spike and Tippy sneaking off to play, she's not sure what to do with them.

Plot

The episode starts in mid-winter where the Gang is waiting for the snow to melt. They witness an icicle fall and then realize that the ice on the river is thawing. The Gang then goes to play "Hard Water Hop." Ruby's attention turns to the growing grass, knowing that there's just enough food for everyone if they share. Soon after, Far Walkers show up. They're Spiketails, and among them was Tippy, who had improved on speaking since they last met (The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze ) and was very excited to see Spike. After a bit of reunion, the Spiketails enter the Great Valley and inquire to share food with the other valley residents. Mr. Threehorn protests that there's not enough food for everyone, to which the Spiketail Leader responds by accusing him of being selfish. The situation escalates to the point where the entirety of the Great Valley residents and Far Walkers are arguing with each other, with Mr. Threehorn and the Spiketail Leader even going so far as to get into a short physical fight. After the fight's resolution, the Spiketail Leader thanks Grandpa Longneck for offering and letting them have their green food but says
that it doesn't mean that he'll be around them, thanks to Mr. Threehorn's behavior towards him and his herd.

Tippy and Spike are playing together until they're interrupted by the Spiketail Leader telling Tippy that it's time to go. Tippy explains that he wants to play with Spike, but his mother breaks the bad news, with the Spiketail Leader saying to Tippy that he's forbidden to hang around with the Great Valley residents, including Spike. This greatly saddens both of them. Some time later, Tippy sneaks away to play with Spike. Ducky witnesses them playing and worries for their sake, not knowing what to do. During Spike and Tippy's playtime, they end up in an area where there's a surplus of food with enough for everyone. The two decide to tell the grownups. Meanwhile, Ducky tells the Gang about what's happening between Tippy and Spike, resulting in Cera trying to tell her father about it. Cera lies about it, when Spike and Tippy suddenly show up. Their parents become very upset with the Gang, with all of them being in big trouble for disobeying them. Tippy's mother accuses Spike of talking her son Tippy into it but Mamma Swimmer points out that Spike couldn't have done that because he doesn't talk. As the grownups begin to decide their punishment, Tippy tells everyone about the place with lots of food. Ducky asks why they intentionally let the grownups catch them. This ignites an even bigger argument between the grownups.

The Gang and Tippy decide to run away. As they attempt to cross an icy bridge, both Tippy and Spike fall off. The grownups then immediately work together to save them. Afterwards, the residents of the Great Valley agree to share the food. Tippy is then allowed to play and interact with Spike and the others. Soon, the Far Walkers had to leave the Great Valley altogether (Tippy included) to set off on their journey to travel to other places. Spike is saddened to see Tippy leave the valley. To help cheer him up, Ducky tags Spike. Eventually the rest of the Gang all took part in it, all of them having a good time with good friends.